Device for inhibiting vibratory roof noise

ABSTRACT

A liquid-tight pliable bag device designed to be partially filled with a freeze-inhibited fluid medium and placed, in conjunction with other such bag devices, on top the roof of a mobile home, trailer, or other habitat having a panel type roof in order to hold down the roof panel seam junctures thereof and otherwise damp the tendency of such panels to vibrate as a result of other means which tend to produce effects upon such panels.

nited States Patent [1 1 Fox [ Dec. 31, 1974 DEVICE FOR INHIBITING VIBRATORY RUDE NOISE [76] Inventor: Richard B. Fox, R.D. No. 1, Yo Haven, Pa. 17370 22 Filed: Dec. 11, 1973 21 Appl. N11; 423,755

[52] US. Cl. ..181/33 A, 181/33 B, 181/33 G,

52/747, 52/144 [51] Int. (:1. E041) H84 [58] Field of Search... 181/33 R, 33 A, 33 B, 33 G, 181/33 GB, 33 GD; 52/41-45, 747-748,

DIG. 3, 144-145 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,173,797 9/1939 Toohey 181/33 G 3,079,277 2/1963 Painter 181/33 G 3,087,568 4/1963 Kurtle 181/33 G 3,172,166 3/1965 lmbrecht 181/33 C FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS R12,357 0/1956 Germany 181/33 GD Primary Examiner-Richard B. Wilkinson Assistant Examiner-Vit W. Miska Attorney, Agent, or Firm-C. Hercus Just; Samuel M. Learned, Jr.

[57] ABSTRACT A liquid-tight pliable bag device designed to be partially filled with a freeze-inhibited fluid medium and placed, in conjunction with other such bag devices, on top the roof of a mobile home, trailer, or other habitat having a panel type roof in order to hold down the roof panel seam junctures thereof and otherwise damp the tendency of such panels to vibrate as a result of other means which tend to produce effects upon such panels.

5 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures DEVICE FOR INHIBITING VIBRATORY ROOF NOISE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The external roofing material used in construction of modular and mobile homes, trailers, and similar type habitats or vehicles is generally comprised of a series of sheet metal panels laterally disposed along the longitudinal dimension of said structures. A description of a typical method employed in affixing such roofing panels to the structural roof frames of the aforementioned type abodes is contained in US. Pat. No. 3,497,030 to Winski, dated Feb. 24, 1970, which describes the origin of a problem resultant from the construction technique therein disclosed, that problem being the vibratory noise which can be caused by wind or other vibratory producing effects upon roof panels affixed in the manner set forth.

The Winski patent teaches elimination of the vibratory roof panel noise problem at the source of creation by modifying the method and technique of attaching said roof panels. However, a multitude of mobile homes, trailers, and other types of such structures are inhabited today which had roofs affixed thereto in the manner described by Winski which causes such problems, either prior to or after his invention. Therefore, the problem of vibratory roof panel noise in mobile homes, trailers, and like habitats exists today, with attending inconvenience and annoyance to the inhabitants.

Various makeshift methods have been devised to minimize or eliminate the existing and continuing roof panel noise heretofore described, foremost among which is the practice of placing a plurality of clay or concrete bricks or blocks upon the roof to weight down the panels thereon, thereby reducing roof panel noise from wind vibrations and other vibratory sources. However, although this makeshift method serves as an expedient alternative to an otherwise annoying condition, the bricks also vibrate, and through such vibration, because of the rough contacting surface of the bricks upon the relatively thin roof panel members, tend to abrade and wear holes therethrough. A more satisfactory solution for inhibiting the vibratory roof panel noise problem is provided by the present invention, which embodies the weighted principle but eliminates the vibratory abrasive consequence heretofore described when bricks are employed.

The present invention comprises a liquid-tight pliable bag device designed to be partially filled with a freezeinhibited fluid medium, said devices having a design configuration wherein the longitudinal dimension thereof is substantially greater than any other dimension, therefore being specifically suited for the purpose intended, namely, to provide a plurality of weighted members upon a roof and thereby inhibit roof panel vibratory noise effects from wind or other vibratory sources. A plurality of said such bags is placed in a Iongitudinal array along the roof panels, including along the seams, so as to hold said members down along the seam junctures. Unlike the brick expedient method heretofore described, said bag devices will not abrade, nor be displaced upon, the roof panel members in that the surfaces of said bag devices which contact the roof panels comprise a pliable non-abrasive but highfriction finish. Additionally, the amount of weight required to hold down said roof panel members and thereby inhibit the vibratory roof panel noise problem can be controlled by the number of bag devices placed upon the roof, and further by the amount and consequent of freeze-inhibited fluid medium contained within the respective bags.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is the principal object of the invention to provide, in combination with a panel type roof of a mobile type home and the like, a liquid-tight pliable bag device to be partially fllled with a freeze-inhibited fluid medium, a plurality of said bag devices being employed as weighted members to be placed along seam junctures of the roof panels of such mobile home type structures, thereby preventing vibratory noise created from the method of affixing said panels resulting from wind and other vibratory causing effects.

Another object of the invention is to provide a weighted bag device for such purpose wherein the amount of freeze-inhibited fluid medium introduced thereto is no more than that required to provide a sufficient weight to hold down roof panels on said type structures, thereby requiring only the minimum weight necessary to inhibit the otherwise resultant undesireable vibratory noise effects heretofore described.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a weighted bag device for such purpose with an optimum design configuration for the application intended.

A further object of the invention is to also provide a weighted bag device for such purpose with a pliable high-friction non-abrasive roof panel contacting surface so that said device will not readily inadvertently shift position from the point of placement due to the heretofore described vibratory effects, nor will the device wear holes in said roof panels due to abrasive motional migration. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. I shows a typical mobile home type structure with a plurality of devices for inhibiting vibratory roof noise longitudinally positioned along the roof panel seam junctures thereof in accordance with the inventron.

FIG. 2 is a side view of an exemplary weight device for inhibiting vibratory roof noise.

FIG. 3 is a top view of the device as shown in FIG. 2. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Referring to FIG. I, a typical mobile home type structure 10 is shown which is provided with a conventional roof 12 attached thereto, said roof 12 being comprised of a series of sheet metal panels 14 disposed along the longitudinal dimension of said structure I0 in parallel relation. A plurality of bag devices 16 also is shown, disposed preferably in a longitudinal axial array along the roof panels and especially along the seam junctures 118 in order to weight down said panels 14 especially at the seam junctures 18 thereof, thereby inhibiting vibratory noise effects caused by wind or other vibratory sources.

Said exemplary bag devices 116 preferably comprise a pliable liquid-tight container partially filled with a freeze-inhibited fluid medium 20, as shown in FIG. 2. The purpose of only partially filling said bag devices 16 with a freeze-inhibited fluid medium 20 is two-fold. First, to allow for expansion and contraction of said fluid medium 20 with daily and seasonal changes in ambient temperature conditions. Second, to introduce only so much fluid medium 20 into said bag devices 16 as is required to provide that weight factor necessary for holding down said sheet metal panels 14 and thereby avoid placement of unnecessary weight upon the underlying structural roof frame members of said mobile home type structure 10. The purpose for employing a freeze-inhibited fluid medium is to prevent said fluid medium 20 from becoming a solid frozen mass and thereby losing an otherwise well distributed fluid pressure contact of a maximum amount of area of the under surface of said bag devices 16 with said sheet metal panels 14.

Also shown in FIG. 2, at the lower portion thereof, is a high-friction non-abrasive matrix structure 22 which comprises the preferred surface on the bag devices 16 which contact the sheet metal panels 14 of the roof 12. The high-friction matrix structure 22 retards inadvertent vibratory displacement of said bag devices 16 from the point of placement upon said sheet metal panels 14 once they are positioned for use. The nonabrasive character of said matrix structure 22 also avoids abrasive wearing engagement with said sheet metal panels 14 due to any motional migration of said bag devices 16.

Additionally shown in FIG. 2 is an exemplary flll port 24 on bag device 16 through which fluid medium 20 is introduced into said device and the supporting neck structure 26 thereof, as well as the fill port 24 closure 28, which may be held in place by either friction or threaded means.

The bag device 16, as shown in FIG. 2, may be fabricated from any suitable pliable, frictional material such as rubber, plastics, pliable synthetic water-proof material, impregnated water-proof textile material, or any other suitable material or a combination thereof. The high-friction type matrix material 22 may, for example, be of a sponge type material such as certain plastics, rubber, or the like.

The view seen in FIG. 3 is a top view of said bag device 16 as shown in FIG. 2, wherein is shown the preferred relative dimensional configuration of said bag device 16, the fill port 24 location, and the closure 28.

While the invention has beed described and illustrated in its preferred embodiment, it should be understood that the invention is not limited to the precise details as herein illustrated and described since the same may be carried out in other ways falling within the scope of the invention as herein illustrated and described.

I claim:

1. A mobile home type structure having sheet-like roof panels covering the top thereof, in combination with means to prevent vibration of said roof members from wind and the like, said means comprising a plurality of weight members positioned upon said roof in spaced relationship to each other, said weight members comprising flexible liquid-tight bag-like containers containing an amount of fluid less than the full capacity of said members so that when spatially positioned upon said roof said members will stabilize said roof panels against vibration, whereby the flexible nature of said containers minimizes possible abrasion or other damage to said roof resulting from said weight members being supported upon said roof by gravity and the lim ited amount of fluid therein permits said members to flexibly engage said roof panels in close adaptability thereto, thus enabling said weighted members to conform to any irregularities in said roof panels and thereby prevent dislodgment of said weighted members from said roof panels consequent from the effects of wind or other vibratory causing effects.

2. A plurality of weighted members according to claim 1, wherein said members contain as an integral element thereof an opening and closure therefor for purposes of introducing and retaining a fluid medium therein.

3. A plurality of weighted members according to claim 1, wherein the fluid medium therein contains a freeze-inhibiting substance.

4. A plurality of weighted members according to claim 1, wherein the roof-contacting surface of said weight members is of a non-abrasive high-friction nature to inhibit vibratory or inadvertent displacement of said containers and consequent abrasive damage to said roof panels when said containers are positioned in spatial array upon said roof.

5. A plurality of weighted members according to claim 1, wherein the design configuration thereof comprises a rectangular shape in plan view and the longitudinal dimension thereof being substantially greater than the lateral dimension. 

1. A mobile home type structure having sheet-like roof panels covering the top thereof, in combination with means to prevent vibration of said roof members from wind and the like, said means comprising a plurality of weight members positioned upon said roof in spaced relationship to each other, said weight members comprising flexible liquid-tight bag-like containers containing an amount of fluid less than the full capacity of said members so that when spatially positioned upon said roof said members will stabilize said roof panels against vibration, whereby the flexible nature of said containers minimizes possible abrasion or other damage to said roof resulting from said weight members being supported upon said roof by gravity and the limited amount of fluid therein permits said members to flexibly engage said roof panels in close adaptability thereto, thus enabling said weighted members to conform to any irregularities in said roof panels and thereby prevent dislodgment of said weighted members from said roof panels consequent from the effects of wind or other vibratory causing effects.
 2. A plurality of weighted members according to claim 1, wherein said members contain as an integral element thereof an opening and closure therefor for purposes of introducing and retaining a fluid medium therein.
 3. A plurality of weighted members according to claim 1, wherein the fluid medium therein contains a freeze-inhibiting substance.
 4. A plurality of weighted members according to claim 1, wherein the roof-contacting surface of said weight members is of a non-abrasive high-friction nature to inhibit vibratory or inadvertent displacement of said containers and consequent abrasive damage to said roof panels when said containers are positioned in spatial array upon said roof.
 5. A plurality of weighted members according to claim 1, wherein the design configuration thereof comprises a Rectangular shape in plan view and the longitudinal dimension thereof being substantially greater than the lateral dimension. 